Remember Shaheen Jafargholi on Britain's Got Talent? Five years after he shot to fame, the Swansea teenager still dreams of a singing career - Wales Online Remember Shaheen Jafargholi on Britain's Got Talent? Five years after he shot to fame, the Swansea teenager still dreams of a singing career Shaeen Jafargholi who sang at Michael Jackson's globally televised memorial service is planning a new album Share Shaheen Jafargholi as he looks today Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email His extraordinary voice propelled him to international fame and a performance at Michael Jackson’s funeral after he appeared on Britain’s Got Talent. Now, five years after he sang at the pop star’s globally televised funeral, Swansea teenager Shaheen Jafargholi has revealed he is still hoping to build a singing career. Shaheen, now 17, says he plans to move to London from Swansea next year and aims to release a new album after taking a break for two years to concentrate on his GCSEs at Swansea’s Dylan Thomas School.

Shaheen Jafargholi - then and now View gallery He said: “I eventually got seventeen and a half GCSEs. I think the half is something to do with computer technology. “Ever since I’ve been concentrating on writing and recording songs and travel to London every week. I can be in a recording studio, a booth or a warehouse but as long as I’m putting down songs I don’t care where it is being done. Beyonce wowed by 12-year-old singing star Shaheen “I’ve written over 40 songs and I plan to market a finished album next year when I’m 18 when I move to London, the heart of the music business. This time I want my music to reflect me, my experiences over the past five years or so and not want people want me to be.

It’s going to be more Shaheen.” Shaheen Jafargholi performing on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Video Loading Share this video Watch Next The young singer won over the nation’s hearts on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 with his audition song, a cover of the Amy Winehouse version of The Zutons song, Valerie, initially being stopped after two lines by Simon Cowell who remarked: “You got this really wrong.” Unusually, Cowell requested Jafargholi sing another tune, as he felt the first song did not suit him and after only a moment’s hesitation he belted out Michael Jackson’s Who’s Lovin’ You, the performance being highly rated by the audience and the judges, earning a standing ovation. Although he only reached seventh place in the show he was invited to sing at a public memorial service for Michael Jackson on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. The service was watched the world over and included stars such as Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Queen Latifah, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Janet Jackson and Jermaine Jackson.

Soon after, Shaheen flew to Chicago to tape an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show performing “Who’s Lovin’ You”, which aired on 14 October. He later produced an album made up mainly of covers and a double A-side single and also took part in a reality documentary about his life and appeared in shows and had parts in TV progammes including Casualty, Torchwood and Grandpa in My Pocket. He said: “Now I’ve got my school work out of the way I want to continue creating original songs. Looking back at the memorial concert it was so wonderful to be even with those big stars let alone singing on stage with them. “Five years on Michael Jackson still has a big influence as an artist. He 100% inspired me to sing and his volume of work still inspires me today.” Like us on Facebook Shaheen Jafargholi (HD) Michael Jackson Tribute - YouTube Shaheen Jafargholi (HD) Michael Jackson Tribute Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented.

This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jul 7, 2009 LATEST VIDEO: BGT MASH 2011 - Part 1. 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi singing "Who's Loving You" at the Michael Jackson Memorial in the Staples Center, Los Angeles, Tuesday 7th July 2009, in front of an estimated global TV audience of one billion people. Category Michael Jackson funeral and memorial service: live - Telegraph Michael Jackson Michael Jackson funeral and memorial service: live Michael Jackson's memorial service in Los Angeles at the Staples Center will provide a public farewell for the King of Pop, with performances from Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey and appearances by Martin Luther King, Jr's children and Brooke Shields. The service follows a private funeral to be held for friends and family at the Forest Lawn cemetery.

By Tom Leonard, Melissa Whitworth, Nick Allen, and Mark Coleman, inside the Staples Center 4:36PM BST 07 Jul 2009 Comments 12.47 LA (20.47 London): Seven pallbearers are now wheeling the gold coffin, covered with red flowers, out of the Staples Center. The music from "Man in the Mirror" is playing in the background. Despite earlier reports on TMZ that Jackson’s body was not in the coffin - sources now confirm to the celebrity news website that he is 100 per cent inside. 12.45 LA (20.45 London):Finally, the last person on stage is Pastor Lucious Smith. “His music reached across the barriers of race culture and even human identity… we should all look at the man or the woman in the mirror and change the way we treat each other.” He closes the memorial with a prayer after asking that everyone to hold the hand of the person next to them wherever we are. 12.40 LA (20.40 London): Jackson's young daughter Paris, 11, pays tribute to her father .

Covered up for most her public life in masks and scarfs, Paris is no longer concealed as she comes to the microphone. Her voice breaking, she says: "I just want to say ever since I was born Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine, and I just want to say I love him so much," as her aunts and uncles gather around her. She hugs her aunt, Janet Jackson. Related Articles Video: Marlon Jackson pays tribute to brother Michael 07 Jul 2009 Seeing the kids is pretty heart wrenching. Weird, though, that they’ve spent their entire lives behind masks and scarves and now they are on the stage in front of millions of people. 12.35 LA (20.35 London): The most emotional tributes are saved until last. Looking at the coffin Jackson's brother Marlon breaks down as he says: "I stand here trying to find words of comfort... trying to find why the Lord has taken our brother after such a short time on earth." His brother was unable to cross the street without being followed. "We will never understand what he endured ... being judged, ridiculed. How much pain can one take?

"Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone... you have finished your work here on earth, and the Lord has called for you to come home with him... I have one request, Michael, one request. I would like for your to give our brother, my twin brother, Brandon, a hug from me." 12.30 LA (20.30 London): Jackson’s children go on stage for "We Are The World". In "Heal The World", a large number of the child performers are chewing gum. Each of Jackson’s brothers take a turn at the microphone, “On behalf of my family and friends I would like to thank everyone for coming out. We thank you, that’s all I can say. We thank you very much,” says Jermaine . Marlon Jackson remembers watching "The Three Stooges" with Michael, only for their mother to tell them off as it was time to go to the recording studio. He recalls spotting a strangely dressed man in a record shop and instantly recognising him as his brother in disguise. “I told him, you’re my brother, I can spot you anywhere,” he says. 12.25 LA (20.25 London): It had to happen.

A medley of singers are up to perform "We Are The World", America’s saccharine answer to the Live Aid charity single and written by Jackson and Lionel Richie. Kenny Ortega, a choreographer and Jackson’s partner in his planned marathon of London concerts, introduces the song with a glowing tribute about Jackson’s love for the planet and its inhabitants. And then it’s everyone on stage, please, along with dozens of hand-holding, racially-inclusive children, for "Heal the World". This 1991 feelgood hit – recently winning a poll as the public's favourite Jackson song – is performed below a giant image of the world. 12.23 LA (20.23 London): Shaheen Jafargholi, the first child performer of the day, sings "Who’s Loving You" . The 12-year-old former contestant on Britain’s Got Talent was approached by the Jackson Family to perform for the memorial since Jackson had become a fan of the young performer. Jackson saw Jafargholi’s singing clip on YouTube and had invited him to perform with him at his O2 comeback concerts.

“I want to thank you Michael Jackson for blessing me and everybody on earth with his amazing music”, says Jafargholi. 12.19 LA (20.19 London): The Jackson brothers appear to have split a few pairs of gloves between them, as the sparkly gloves are on alternating hands. The singer usually wore his sequined glove on his right hand. 12.19 LA (20.19 London): Smokey Robinson returns to the stage after Usher's performance of "Gone Too Soon". He reels off the same anecdote as Berry Gordy offered about how the Jackson Five covered one of his songs – "Who’s Lovin’ You" - at the beginning of their career. Robinson says he couldn’t believe Michael was 10. “I wanted to see his birth certificate. I did not believe that someone that young could have that much feeling and soul.” “It was wonderful – it’s a dream come true when somebody sings one of your songs like that,” adds Robinson generously. “He will never be gone. He is going to live for ever and ever and ever and ever,” says Robinson. Not, as some have predicted, in record sales but in the afterlife, says the singer.

“I believe so much in God, I believe so much that this is not it, that we have life after this is done.” 12.08 LA (20.08 London): Usher, an R&B star whose music is heavily influenced by Jackson, sings "Gone Too Soon" (amazing how many Jackson songs are so appropriate for his memorial service). Usher is wearing possibly the world’s biggest pair of sunglasses – how he found his way to the stage is a small miracle. He touches the golden coffin during the most emotive part of the song and pauses to choke back tears. As Usher left the stage, he was hugged by Michael’s brother, and sister Janet. Then he knelt at the knees of Jackson’s mother, Katherine, and cried. 12.05 LA (20.05 London): “Michael never stopped giving,” says Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who has also compared the star to the Good Samaritan the New Testament parable, in another speech heavy on the racial progress Jackson spearheaded.

12.04 LA (20.04 London): Paul McCartney posts the following on his website during the memorial service: "Some time ago, the media came up with the idea that Michael Jackson was going to leave his share in the Beatles songs to me in his will which was completely made up and something I didn't believe for a second. "Now the report is that I am devastated to find that he didn't leave the songs to me. This is completely untrue. I had not thought for one minute that the original report was true and therefore, the report that I'm devastated is also totally false, so don't believe everything you read folks! "In fact, though Michael and I drifted apart over the years, we never really fell out, and I have fond memories of our time together. "At times like this, the press do tend to make things up, so occasionally, I feel the need to put the record straight. Paul" 11.58 LA (19.58 London): Bernice and Martin Luther King, III are next on stage - the son of the civil rights activist gives a fiery speech about racial divide.

His daughter says Michael Jackson was “America’s true royalty.” 11.48 LA (19.48 London): Jermaine Jackson sings Michael's favourite song, "Smile" . The song was written by Charlie Chaplin for his 1936 film "Modern Times". 11.44 LA (19.44 London): For all that is being said of Jackson’s success in bringing racial harmony, there have been precious few non-black faces on stage so far. It is changing, however. A few white dancers back Jennifer Hudson and then John Mayer performs Human Nature (another Jackson hit) on guitar. Next up is the actress Brooke Shields and the first celebrity tears of the day (though so many people are wearing dark glasses in the darkened arena that it’s difficult to be sure). Shields talks a lot about Jackson’s pure, un-jaded childlike quality and how she clearly thought it was widely misunderstood. “Michael was one of a kind,” she says of her old friend. The captions to their photos, she said, usually said “an odd couple” or “an unlikely pair”. “But to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships,” she says.

She says she used to tease Jackson, that she started in entertainment when she was 11 months old. “You were a slacker,” she says she told Jackson. “What were you, five?” Lots of reminiscences here. How they tried to catch the first glimpse of Elizabeth Taylor in her wedding dress but actually saw her asleep on a bed. How she teased him – he loved to be teased, she said – about his penchant for wearing a single sequined glove. “I was like, what’s up with the glove? If you’re going to hold my hand, it better be the non-gloved one, because sequins really hurt my hand,” she says. Shields says Jackson was often described as the King but she saw him more as the Little Prince. "He was often referered to as the King but the Michael I knew was more like Antoine de Saint- Exupery’s Little Prince. “What moves me so deeply about this sleeping prince is his loyalty to a flower,” she says. “We need to look up, where he is undoubtedly perched on a crescent moon, and we need to smile,” she says tearfully. Will anyone be able to top this?

11.40 LA (19.40 London): With his spellbinding solo performance, John Mayer cements his reputation as the world's greatest modern guitarist and heir apparent to Eric Clapton's long-held crown. Would have been nice to have seen Clapton here with him though.... 11.30 LA (19.30 London): A lot of seats now filled - still dozens of empties though. A lot of private boxes aren't being used. 11.26 LA (19.26 London): Reverend Al Sharpton echoes other presenters in highlighting Jackson's importance in raising the profiles of African-American performers. The black rights campaigner gives an impassioned speech. Predictably, his theme is one of the black struggle and of how Jackson didn’t accept the status quo. He “broke down the colour curtain”, says Sharpton, alluding to the racial crossover success of Jackson’s Thriller album in the 1980s. He remembers meeting Jackson at a Chicago exposition in 1970. “From that moment, he never gave up dreaming.

It was a dream that changed cultures all over the world.” “It was Michael Jackson that brought blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos together,” he says. “Because Michael Jackson kept going, he created a comfort level, where people that felt they were separate became interconnected with his music.” “Later, it wasn’t strange to watch Oprah on television. It wasn’t strange to watch Tiger Woods golf.” Predictably, no reference is made to Jackson’s controversial plastic surgery, which many insisted made him look progressively more white and less black. “I want his children to know, there wasn’t nothing strange about your daddy,” says Sharpton. “It was strange what your daddy had to deal with.” He gets a standing ovation for that line. Everyone is on their feel. Constant cries in the pause of "Michael, Michael..." And "We love you, Michael". 11.22 LA (19.22 London): A very pregnant Jennifer Hudson is up next, the Oscar winner, ringing the sartorial changes in white. She sings "Will You Be There", a 1993 hit for Jackson. Some of the lyrics are flashed up on a backdrop of a cosmos, voiced by Jackson himself.

– recalling the portentousness of some of his old work. 11.19 LA (19.19 London): Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson , basketball players, take to the stage to share their memories of Jackson. Johnson appeared in Jackson's "Remember the Time" video along with Eddie Murphy, the actor, and Iman, the model. 11.15 LA (19.15 London): Stevie Wonder says this is a moment “that I didn’t think I'd live to see”. But he does know that “God is good” and that, much as his friends and family needed Jackson, “God must have needed him far more”. And then it’s off into a Wonder ballad called "Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer". It’s actually about a failed relationship but it seems a very apt title. 11.10 LA (19.10 London): “It feels good to be thought of as a person and not just a personality,” Jackson’s recorded voice says as a montage of his performances and celebrity appearances is projected onto the wall behind the stage.

11.02 LA (19.02 London): Gordy remembers how the Jackson Five auditioned at the Motown Record’s Detroit headquarters in 1968 . A 10-year-old Jackson sang a bluesy Smokey Robinson song which Gordy thought was better than Robinson’s version. Hard to believe, but Smokey apparently agreed at the time. Jackson “was driven by his hunger to learn…to constantly top himself”, said Gordy, unaware no doubt of what “topping” oneself means in English slang. “He raised the bar then broke the bar.” Gordy is the first to make any reference to the more troubled side of Jackson’s life. “Sure there was some bad times and may be some questionable decisions on his part but Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of,” he said. “Michael Jackson went into orbit and never came down.” 11.02 LA (19.02 London): Jackson was "greatest entertainer that ever lived", says Gordy, drawing applause from the audience.

10.59 LA (18.59 London): Jackson’s brothers, who served as pallbearers, are sitting in the front row at the Staples Center, are all wearing sunglasses, yellow ties, red roses in their lapels and a glittering glove on one hand. 10.54 LA (18.54 London): "He raised the bar, and then broke the bar," says Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records (original home of the Jackson Five) before reminiscing about baseball games between his sons and the Jacksons. 10.51 LA (18.51 London): Looks like they are going to run through the hits back catalogue in date order. I’ll Be There was a Jackson Five hit and a huge picture of them was projected on to the back wall as it was being sung. Before the song, Pastor Lucious Smith, a friend of the Jackson family, gave a glowing tribute to the singer’s life and legacy, noting that the memorial service had brought together those who know him personally and through his music. “Michael Jackson wanted nothing more than to give love to the world…and perhaps to be loved back in return,” he said.

The singer, he added, “did so much to try to try and heal our world”. He went on: “May this moment of remembrance…bring comfort to those who loved our our friend”. 10.50 LA (18.50 London): Lionel Ritchie takes to the stage as photos of the singer with Jackson are projected onto the wall behind him. Richie, who co-wrote "We are the world" with Jackson, performs "Jesus Is Love", a Commodores number, wearing a yellow rose that clashes horribly with his red pocket handkerchief. 10.49 LA (18.49 London): Queen Latifah reads a poem written by Maya Angelou. 10.46 LA (18.46 London): "You believed in Michael and he believed in you," said Queen Latifah in a tribute to "the biggest star on Earth". 10.43 LA (18.43 London): She is joined by Troy Lorenz, who joined her on stage, who performed the song with her at a Save the Music benefit in 2005.

10.40 LA (18.40 London): Mariah Carey sings "I'll be there" as photographs of Jackson are projected onto the wall behind her. Liveblogging Michael Jackson's funeral and memorial service | News | The Guardian Liveblogging Michael Jackson's funeral and memorial service Real-time dispatches from today's events in Los Angeles, including updates from inside the Staples Centre Tuesday 7 July 2009 10.24 EDT First published on Tuesday 7 July 2009 10.24 EDT Close Photograph: AP 7.24am (10.24am eastern, 3.24pm UK time): The crowds are gathering in downtown Los Angeles, and the Jackson family have left for the Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills... so a little earlier than scheduled, let's begin today's live coverage of the most-hyped wake of the decade. Andrew Gumbel will be inside the Staples Centre later, where he'll be joined, we learn this morning, by Michael Jackson's casket . Your insightful comments, memories, observations and impeccably tasteful remarks are actively encouraged!

The public service proper is scheduled to begin at 10am PDT/6pm UK time. Fans arrive at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for today's memorial service. Photograph: AP 7.40am (3.40pm): A nice click-and-drag panorama from the LA Times gives a good sense of the venue for the main event later today. 7.46am (3.46pm): The Jackson family motorcade is being sponsored by Range Rover , according to website-that-we-apparently-all-now-trust, TMZ. The stage is set for today's Michael Jackson memorial service. Photograph: AP 7.55am (3.55pm): Above: the stage setting inside the arena. Drumkits, basically. Not visible in this photograph are the enormous screens on which the performances will be carried — there are others outside the venue, too — and really rather copious branding for Staples. Why not honour one of the greatest musical talents in living memory by purchasing some office products?

8.03am (4.03pm): So, to clarify, the 16-vehicle motorcade has now left the fan-surrounded Jackson family home in Encino, California, and is en route... uh, somewhere, because at least some of the family seem to have paid their respects at the cemetery last night . Perhaps they're making a second visit. Mystery still surrounds how Jackson's body is going to make it to downtown LA: there were reportedly problems with a plan to helicopter it there. Photograph: Getty 8.12am (4.12pm): Insert ponderous metaphor about the worldwide media CIRCUS surrounding Michael Jackson's death! Actual circus company Ringling Bros is due to start performing at the same venue tomorrow, so in the small hours of this morning, 11 Asian elephants were duly escorted inside by police. 8.15am (4.15pm): The Jackson family motorcade arrives at the Forest Lawn cemetery. In response to commenter mackat, the confusion is because a) there's a private family funeral followed by a public memorial service at a different venue, b) Jackson's body will be at the public memorial service — and also at the private funeral?

— in which case, when and where will he actually be buried?, and c) more generally, nobody has a damn clue what's going on. The Jackson family motorcade leaves Encino earlier today. Photograph: AP 8.21am (4.21pm): The front steps of Forest Lawn are a mass of mourners in dark suits and dresses, greeting and hugging each other. If "private family funeral" makes you think of 20 or 30 people, be assured there are, by my estimate, a minimum of 200 people there. Meanwhile, in downtown LA, 3,200 police officers are on duty . 8.29am (4.29pm): The front doors of the cemetery complex close after the last arrivals, leaving the motorcade parked up outside, and the private service begins. You're going to have to imagine this part. 8.43am (4.43pm): Be it known that Geraldo Rivera will NOT be attending today's memorial. He is doing this as a protest against the exploitation of Michael Jackson's memory, by bloodsuckers.

What on earth will happen when this news reaches the thousands of onlookers gathered on the streets of LA? 8.56am (4.56pm): And in other important news, you'll maybe be surprised to learn that that wasn't Michael Jackson's ghost at the Neverland Ranch after all. Remarkably, it was a shadow from a member of a TV crew. In the linked video, Larry King (who actually is a paranormal phenomenon) explains all. 9.01am (5.01pm): At Forest Lawn, the private ceremony's now over, and the mourners are returning to their vehicles. A hearse is waiting to carry Jackson's body to the Staples Centre -- a journey of about 20-25 minutes, apparently. We seem to be on schedule, except that it's now being reported that the public service will begin half an hour late, at 10.30am. ...Aaand there's the casket, now in the hearse and ready for the journey to begin. 9.14am (5.14pm): Andrew Gumbel calls in from the heart of the throng.

He'll be in the Staples Centre for the ceremony, and got a look inside just now. Behind the stage, a huge screen reads "Michael Jackson: In Loving Memory," while the front of the stage is knee-deep in bouquets of flowers — just one more Dianaesque aspect of today's frenzy. The atmosphere among the fans is calm and happy, he says, while the specially printed memorial programme features photographs of Jackson with Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. Inside, family members offer their thoughts. "I watched the light in Michael's eyes fade as he faced trials and tribulations for being misunderstood," observes his brother Tito. The programme does not appear to have been created using a special lenticular process . 9.24am (5.24pm): An exclusive investigation by my colleague Andrew Clark elicits the following information from the British consulate in Los Angeles: according to a spokeswoman, there is no official British government presence at the King of Pop's memorial — even though he was, like, a king — "unless you count the number of British cars the Jackson family arrived in: Range Rovers and Bentleys." Today is, it seems, all about car company sponsorship. And UK plc! Well done chaps.

9.28am (5.28pm): A non-exclusive investigation by myself reveals that the ceremony, now due to begin in an hour, is going to conclude with a star-packed rendition of We Are The World , led by Lionel Richie. So now you know. Meanwhile, the Staples Centre's filling up. 9.40am (5.40pm): The funeral cortege is still en route... 9.47am (5.47pm): While we're waiting, a real development: Moon Crater To Be Designated In Memoriam Of Legendary Entertainer Michael Jackson ! Apparently, Jackson "was among the largest private owners of lunar property claims. In addition to his significant parcel in the Lake of Dreams, which he obtained in 2005, he also owned a smaller property in the Sea of Vapours." I never knew this, and yet I am not altogether surprised. Also, here are hundreds of people moonwalking in Jackson's honour, mainly in Belgium, for a reason that isn't made clear. Man, those Belgians can dance though. Apart from the ones who can't.

9.50am (5.50pm): The Jackson family motorcade arrives at the Staples Centre. Photograph: Pool 10.01am (6.01pm): Here's that commemorative programme. The venue is pretty full now, as we hit the originally scheduled start time for today's service. 10.12am (6.12pm): Some action at the Staples Centre — sometime ahead of the rescheduled start time — as Smokey Robinson reads tribute messages first from Diana Ross and then from Nelson Mandela, who says Michael Jackson became a close friend. Jackson's casket, apparently, has now arrived at the building. 10.25am (6.25pm): Apologies for the technology-induced delay. Still nothing happening on stage, though. Offstage, though, reports Andrew Gumbel: "A big welcome cheer and standing ovation for Kobe Bryant, who owns the Staples crowd because the Lakers play here. No cheers for the others, such as Al Sharpton." 10.32am (6.32pm): And the service begins.

A gospel choir sings Soon And Very Soon against a backdrop projection of stained-glass church windows, with lurid pink and purple clouds behind them as Jackson's coffin, covered with roses, is wheeled out to the front and centre of the blue stage. The crowd is mainly respectfully quiet, with occasional outbreaks of cheering. 10.38am (6.38pm): Jackson family pastor Lucious Smith opens the proceedings. "We remember this man by celebrating all of the love he brought to all of our lives for half a century. Our hearts are heavy today because [he] is gone far too soon, but as long as we remember our time with him, the truth is he is never really gone at all." Through his words and music, Smith says, "Michael did so much to try and heal our world." 10.40am (6.40pm): Mariah Carey takes to the stage with Trey Lorenz to sing a slightly thin version I'll Be There, accompanied by a montage of photographs of the young Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Plenty of moist eyes in the audience already. The layout of the stage is such that they're literally singing at Jackson, whose casket lies immediately in front of them.

10.45am (6.45pm): Queen Latifah, close to tears from the start, steps up to the rostrum to speak, she says, on behalf of fans everywhere. "Michael was the biggest star on earth. He let me know that as an African-American, you could travel the world — there was a world outside of America, other people." She reads a poem by Maya Angelou. "Sing our songs among the stars, and walk our dances across the face of the moon. In the instant we learned that Michael was gone, we know nothing... with the abrupt absence of our treasure, though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone. Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us, and we did have him." 10.49am (6.49pm): "In Birmingham, Alabama and Birmingham, England, we are missing Michael Jackson. But we do know that we had him." Lionel Richie now, with a fetching yellow rose in his buttonhole, gets things going with a properly impassioned rendition of Jesus Is Love .

10.54am (6.54pm): Here's Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, who's looking exceedingly vigorous and healthy for 79. "Today the world mourns the death of a friend and brother, Michael Jackson, who was like a son to me... Michael Jackson was 10 years old when he and his brothers auditioned for me in Motown in Detroit that July day in 1968, and blew us all away. The Jackson 5 were just amazing, and little Michael's performance was way beyond his years. This little kid had an incredible knowingness about him... he sung a Smokey Robinson song called Who's Lovin' You. He sang it with the sadness and passion of a man who'd been living the blues and heartbreak his whole life. And as great as Smokey sang it, I thought Michael was better." Robinson, in the audience, chuckles in agreement. 10.59am (6.59pm): "From the first beat of Billie Jean, I was mesmerised. And when he did his iconic moonwalk, I was shocked. It was magic. Michael Jackson went into orbit, and never came down.

Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful. Sure, there were some sad, sad times, and maybe some questionable decisions on his part, but Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of." That's the first reference to anything negative in Jackson's life and career so far during this service, though Gordy soon passes over it. 11.02am (7.02pm): And Gordy finishes up, to the loudest cheers and applause so far: "The more I think about Michael Jackson, the more I think The King of Pop is not big enough for him. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived... Michael, thank you." 11.04am (7.04pm): Now we're watching a fast-moving compilation of Jackson music videos and concert footage — from the old dance moves in black-and-white, via Thriller and Bad, to the stadium ballads of more recent years. (I think I saw a clip of Bubbles the chimpanzee in there...) And plenty of shots of Jackson, arms outstretched, Messiah-like. 11.08am (7.08pm): Stevie Wonder.

"This is a moment that I wished that I didn't have to see coming... but I do know that God is good, and I do know that as much as we may feel that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more," he says, then effortlessly segues into his song Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer. Maybe I'm just biased in Stevie Wonder's favour, but this strikes me as easily the high point of the event so far, performance-wise. 11.15am (7.15pm): Words from Kobe Bryant — "Michael was a true humanitarian" — and Magic Johnson, who recalls being invited to dinner at Jackson's house, where the chef prepared grilled chicken for Johnson but then brought out Kentucky Fried Chicken for Jackson. "Michael? You eat Kentucky Fried Chicken?" (Johnson describes this chicken incident as "the greatest moment of his life.") "His three children will have the most incredible grandmother that God has put on this earth... so may God continue to bless this incredible family. We're praying for you.

Remain strong." 11.21am (7.21pm): Jennifer Hudson sings Jackson's song Will You Be There, accompanied, I think, by Jackson's spoken voice from the original recording. 11.26am (7.26pm): Al Sharpton steps up to the podium, addressing the audience in his usual stentorian tones. "He never gave up dreaming. It was that dream that changed culture all over the world... Because Michael kept going, because... he refused to let people decide his boundaries... it was Michael Jackson who brought blacks and whites and Latinos and Asians together... Because Michael Jackson kept going, he created a comfort level... so that later it wasn't strange to us to watch Oprah on television, it wasn't strange to watch Tiger Woods golf. Those kids grew up from being kids who were comfortable with Michael Jackson, to being 40 year olds [who were] comfortable to vote for a person of colour as president of the United States." 11.32am (7.32pm): Sharpton works towards a conclusion with this rather striking claim: "I want his children to know: wasn't nothing strange about your Daddy. It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with.

But he dealt with it anyway." 11.35am (7.35pm): A rather lengthy pause in proceedings. Turns out we've been waiting for... John Mayer. Oh. He's performing a largely instrumental version of Jackson's song Human Nature. As he greets members of the family in the audience, I note for the first time that the members of the funeral party are all each wearing a single sequinned glove. 11.40am (7.40pm): Brooke Shields is crying so much she can barely speak. But she does eventually manage. Whenever they were photographed together, she says, the caption would read "The Odd Couple", or something similar. But "to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships... maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very young age... Both of us needed to be adults very early. But when we were together, we were two little kids having fun." Hmmm, this tribute is thus far somewhat more about Brooke Shields than Michael Jackson. Then again, it is also the most personal and heartfelt set of anecdotes we've heard about Jackson's offstage personality so far. Now she's quoting from The Little Prince.

11.49am (7.49pm): Jermaine Jackson now sings Smile, from the Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times, which Shields had just been quoting. 11.53am (7.53pm): We hear now from Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, children of MLK. Martin Luther King III begins with his father's famous words about the importance of stewarding your talents and doing your job as well as you can, whether you're an artist or a street-sweeper. "On June 25, because he was the best, I believe heaven and earth did pause to say, 'here lived a great entertainer, who did his job well,'" he says, before his sister takes up an even more religious theme. "At the end of the day, it is only God's love that will sustain you and move you to a higher ground, far above the noise of life..." 11.58am (7.58pm): Texan congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee speaks now, and quickly makes a markedly overt reference to the child molestation charges against Jackson: "We understand laws, and we know that people are innocent until proven otherwise.

That is what the Constitution stands for." Applause. The rest of her speech focuses on Jackson-as-humanitarian. 12.05pm (8.05pm): Jackson Lee brings out a framed document, explaining that she has introduced into the House of Representatives "a resolution, to be debated on the floor of the House, that claims Michael Jackson as an American legend, a musical icon, and a world humanitarian." Among those who won't be voting in favour: New York congressman Pete King . 12.10pm (8.10pm): And now Usher, singing Gone Too Soon. 12.12pm (8.12pm): Footage of the Jackson 5 singing Smokey Robinson's Who's Loving You serves as a reminder of what a bizarrely talented stage performer the 10-year-old Jackson was. It serves as a prologue to Robinson's own spoken tribute. When he heard Jackson's version of the song, Robinson says, he thought: "This boy cannot possibly be 10 years old. This song is about somebody who had somebody who loved him, but they treated him bad... and now they are paying the price... How could he possibly know these things?

I quickly went over to him because I wanted to see his birth certificate. I did not believe that someone that young could have that much feeling and soul and knowing... My brother is in a place now where he is most certainly going to live forever. But he's going to live forever twice, because he's going to live forever right here: the world will never, ever forget Michael Jackson." 12.18pm (8.18pm): And now, somewhat incongruously if you ask me, 12-year-old Swansea singing sensation Shaheen Jafargholi, from Britain's Got Talent, who picks up Who's Lovin' You again. Apparently Jackson had been impressed by Jafargholi's performance after seeing it on YouTube, prompting the Jackson family to invite him to sing today. 12.24pm (8.24pm): We're moving towards a denoument here now, as Kenny Ortega, director of the O2 Centre concerts that Jackson never gave, introduces a sequence he says was prepared for those concerts — it's We Are The World. The singers are rapidly joined by many of the musicians who performed today, making for a classic stage-packed-full-of-celebrities finale.

Although it's actually not quite the finale... 12.29pm (8.29pm): The singers are joined by a large number of children. I'm not clear which children. Maybe this will become clear. The song is Heal The World. 12.31pm (8.31pm): "The atmosphere has really been very subdued," says Andrew Gumbel, as he hastens off to write his piece for the newspaper. "Only a few people jumped up to dance." Occasionally people shouted "Michael we love you!" or "See you in heaven" — but the prevailing sense was one of quiet. 12.35pm (8.35pm): ...Aaaand I believe that probably just about wraps things up here. As Janet Jackson, in beret and dark glasses, grips Berry Gordy in a hug just behind him, Jermaine Jackson thanks the crowd. "I stand here trying to find words of comfort... trying to find why the Lord has taken our brother after such a short time on earth," brother Marlon Jackson adds. All his life, he says, his brother was unable to move without a crowd gathering. "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone...

you have finished your work here on earth, and the Lord has called for you to come home with him... I have one request, Michael, one request. I would like for your to give our brother, my twin brother, Brandon, a hug from me." (Brandon Jackson, Marlon's twin, died in childhood.) 12.40pm (8.40pm): Janet Jackson brings Jackson's daughter Paris Katherine Jackson to the podium, where the 11-year-old tries to talk through tears. ("Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine... I just wanted to say I love him so much.") Pretty hard to watch actually — a rare moment of truly unstaged emotion. 12.45pm (8.45pm): The casket is wheeled off stage. But where to? Forest Lawn, presumably, although we still have no definite confirmation, as far as I'm aware, of where Jackson is to be buried. A prayer brings the proceedings to a close. 1.15pm (9.15pm): So, as we take stock of today, it's worth asking: just how big a deal was "interplanetary phenomenon" Michael Jackson?

Gawker has a video compilation of US newscasters' judgments. 1.25pm (9.25pm): Hey, how's this for meta: I note that the Wall Street Journal, of all publications, has been liveblogging the Jackson funeral liveblogs , including this one. I'm not sure why. 1.36pm (9.36pm): An observation based on watching CNN: monotonous politics host Wolf Blitzer should not comment on subjects such as Michael Jackson's influence on modern dance. Then again, neither should I. Still no clarity on exactly what's happening to the casket right now. 1.40pm (9.40pm): OK. That's enough Jackson memorial frenzy. Here's my colleague Ed Pilkington's take on the day, and watch out for Andrew Gumbel's soon. Thanks for reading and commenting. The initials MJ, skywritten in remembrance of Michael Jackson outside the public memorial service in Los Angeles. Photograph: Kristian Dowling/Getty Images

Question: Which Welsh 12 year old sang at Michael Jackson's memorial concert in the USA?
Answer: SHAHEEN JAFARGHOLI